Machine for sharpening pencils



(No Model.)

D. P. RANNEY.

MACHINE FOR SHARPENING PENGILS.

Patented Apr. 27, 1886.

UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

DAVID F. RANNEY, OF NORTHAMPTON, lvIASSAOHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR SHARPENING PENCILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 340,818, dated April27, 1886.

Application filed November 9, 1885. Serial No. 182,177. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID F. RANNEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Northampton, in the county of Hampshire and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines forSharpening Pencils, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in pencil-sharpening machines,the object being to provide improved shaving or cutting andpoint-grinding devices upon a single rotating shaft, combined withimproved means for holding a pencil at a suitable angle to the face ofthe grinding-wheel, whereby a properlyformed point is made, saidholding'devices being adjustable to hold pencils at varying angles.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure l is aperspective view of a pencil sharpening machineconstrncted according tomy invention, a part of the table and of the frame supporting the latterbeing broken away. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the pencil-holdingdevices, showing a part of the hollow shank of the holder and the coiledspring in section, and a portion of the stand on which said holder issupported, the top thereof being broken away to show said shank andspring, this figure also illustrating the manner in which a pencil isengaged and held by the holder. Fig. 3 is a side view of thepencil-holder yoke in modified form, with its shank partly broken off,and of a portion of its supporting-stand.

In the drawings, A is a table having suitable legs and supportingframe-work, and in the latter, in suitable bearings, is hung thecrank-shaft B, to which a rotary motion is given by the foot-treadleF,which is connected with the shaft B by the pitman E, in the usual way.A driving-pulley, D, is fixed on shaft B, having a groovein itsperiphery in which the driving'belt h runs. A standard, K, is fixed inan upright position on the table A, having in its upper end a suitablebearing or bearings in which the shaft a rotates, driven by said belt h,which runs over a grooved pulley, e, which is fixed on said shaft. Oneend of shaft a is perforated longitudinally and one sideof theperforated part of the shaft is slotted, as shown in Fig. l, and at oneside of said slot the knife 0 is secured, making the well-known hollowcutter for shaving by rotary movement the ends of lead-pencils, orgiving the usual conical form to the ends of the wooden portion of thelatter, it being understood that the said perforation in the end ofshaft a is of conical form, and that knife 0 is set on a line with theside of the perforation. A grinding-wheel, m, is secured on the end ofshaft a, opposite to that in which is saidhollow cutter, saidgrinding-wheel being preferably the well-known emery-wheel, and abalance-wheel, d, is fixed on said shaft to assist in giving steadinessto its rotary motion.

The pencil-holding devices are located on the table A, opposite theperiphery of the grinding-wheel, and are constructed and arranged asfollows: A standard, a, is secured on table A by screws, as shown, oneof the latter passing through the curved slot 0 in the foot of saidstandard, thereby providing for swinging the standard and securing it indifferent positions on the table. The upper end of standard a isprovided with a cylindrical perforation in a plane with the top of tableA, and a set-screw, 00, passes through the side of said perforation. Apencil-holder yoke, f, consisting of two arms, 3, united by a crosspieceat right angles to the latter, has a hollow shank, z, projectingrearward from said crosspiece, and a perforation is made through thelatter and that portion of the shank directly adjoining it leading intothe hollow portion at its rear end, said shank a being of properexternal diameter to fit into said cylindrical perforation in thestandard n, whereby the yoke f is supported thereon, and is permitted tobe rocked more or less and moved back and forth opposite wheel m; andwhen moved or adjusted to a desired position the yoke is there securedby the set-screw 00, whose point enters a groove made in the side ofshank z. (Shown in Fig. 1.) Each arm 3 is provided with a notch, 2, inits end.

The pencil-holder y is a hollow metallic piece, of the form shown,fitting loosely between the arms 3 of the yoke, and having a stem, t,thereon extending rearwardly through said perforation in the cross-pieceof theyoke'and through the shank z, a head, J, being secured ICC) to theend of the stem, a coiled spring, to, being placed on stem it, betweensaid head and the inner end of the socket in the shank 2, whereby thepencil-holder is drawn backward between the arms 3 of the bifurcatedyokef.

If desired, the arms 3 of the yoke may be made as shown in Fig. 3--thatis to say, without the notches 2 in the ends thereof; but in place ofthe latter,having holes 5 through each arm, opposite each other, throughwhich to pass the pencil, so that it may be held by the holder 7substantially as shown in Fig. 2.

The operation of the above-described machine is as follows: Through thetreadle F and driving-wheel D rapid rotary motion is given to shaft a.In order to quickly reduce the end ofa pencil to a conical formapproximating that which it will have finally, the operator first forcessaid pencil end into the hollow end ofshaft a,thus submitting it to theaction of the knife 0, whereby much of the surplus wood is removedwithout cutting the graphite center, said knife not being adapted toproperly treat the latter. The operator then presses against the headJonthe stem of holder y, forcing the end of the latter beyond the ends ofthe arms3 far enough to allow of passing the pencil 8 through holder yand in front of the ends of said arms. The stem of the holder is thenreleased, and the spring 20, which was compressed when the holder wasmoved outward, draws the latter backward, forcing the pencil against thenotched ends of arms 3 in the posit-ion shown, but not so tightly butthat it can be slowly rotated while so held.

The standard n, in which the holder and the yokef are supported, is setin such a position on table A as to hold the pencil placed in the holderat-an incline to the side of the wheel proportionate to the shape of thesharpened end of the pencil to be produced, said position of thestandard being fairly represented in Fig. 1,but being capable ofadjustmentin either direction by means of the curved slot 0 and thescrew passing through it. Toaccommodatethe holder to pencils of largeror small diameters, the yokef is made adjustable in the direction of thelength of the shank 2 by moving the latter in the standard a andsecuring it by the setscrew :0. Thus it is seen that with the holder andyoke in the position relative to the outer side of wheel m, indicated inFig. 1,the pencil, when placed between the holder and the ends of arms3, as shown, and pressed forward and rotated, has its side nearits endforced against the wheel, (the latter being rotated in the directionshown by the arrow,) and thereby a conical form is given to the endthereof,and the graphite is ground to a smooth and perfect point,and theadj oining wood is ofa like smooth finish, and with said point isconcentric with the surface of the pencil.

It is not essential that the end of the pencil be partially reduced to aconical form by the use of said hollow cutter before it is ground onwheel m; but by the use of said cutter the pencil is more quicklypointed.

Pencils of slate are quickly pointed on this machine,by holding androtatingthem as above described while pressing them against the outerside of wheel m.

The pencil, it will be seen, is held or drawn toward the grinding-wheelby the force of the spring to, which is sufficient to hold it againstthe wheel, and if it be pressed forward unduly the spring yields andprevents the point of the pencil from breaking.

\Vhat I claim my invention is- A machine for pointing pencils,consistingof a rotating shaft having a grinding-wheel,substantially as described,secured thereon, combined with pencil-holding devices supported on asuitable standard near said wheel, consisting of a bifurcated yokehaving notches in the ends of its arms and a hollow shank by which saidyoke is secured to said standard, a hollow holder located between saidarms and capable of a horizontal motion therebetween, and having a stemextending through the hollow shank of the yoke, and having a head on itsend, a coiled spring on said stem between said head and the inner end ofthe cavity in said yoke-shank, and means, substantially as described,forimpartinga rotary motion to said shaft, substantially as set forth.

DAVID F. RANNEY.

WVitnesses:

NV. F. Bron, H. A. CHAPIN.

